Beyond Brexit

November 19, 2018

Ideologues gamble with a nation’s future

The idea of ‘pure sovereignty’ which Brexiters argue would be possible for Britain outside the European Union is an unattainable dream, writes Geoff Kitney. Who can say how ultimately post-Brexit Britain will…

October 30, 2018

Corporate America waits in the post-Brexit wings

Trade deals involve trade-offs and every trade deal the UK strikes will involve some degree of sovereignty shedding, writes Geoff Kitney. The great phoney war over sovereignty grinds on in its never-ending…

October 8, 2018

Brexit dividend discovered in Sheffield

It is proving increasingly difficult to identify the benefits Brexit might bring. Now a team of economists based in Sheffield have detected an upside in deflating an over-bloated UK finance sector, writes…

October 5, 2018

A (Dis)United Kingdom after Brexit?

The UK as we know it might soon be a memory, writes Murray Ritchie. As Brexit approaches we hear ever-louder warnings that the constitutional make-up of the United Kingdom of Great Britain…

September 26, 2018

A well-informed choice is not a betrayal of democracy

As the need for British common sense has become more apparent in Europe, Brexit seems to have taken a heavy toll on British common sense, Geoff Kitney writes. My family has blood…

September 17, 2018

Have you got your Brexit parachute on yet?

Businesses in Leave’s north-east heartland are preparing for an EU deal that – good or bad – will have far-reaching consequences for the local economy, writes Adam Jezard. There was jubilation on…

August 6, 2018

So, can you ignore Donald Trump?

It’s a rhetorical question, of course, but there is a context in which it is worth asking. That context is Brexit, writes Geoff Kitney. When a narrow majority of Britons voted in…

August 2, 2018

Will May put country or party first?

Slowly but surely public opinion is turning against Brexit. Should we drop the whole idea or are we moving towards a second referendum on the terms? Murray Ritchie takes a look. Brexit…

July 3, 2018

Britannia makes waves with £20bn ‘down-payment’

Since Britain voted to leave the EU a vocal group of conservative opinion leaders have been urging the Australian government to take a proactive role in supporting the British decision in every…

June 22, 2018

Barclays eyes Scotland as post-Brexit base

Glasgow is cost-friendly, has a good workforce – and might be in the EU when independent, staff reporters are told. Barclays’ headquarters in London could be in name only in a post-Brexit…

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Markets jump as Trump pauses tariffs
Just hours after President Trump imposed steep tariffs on dozens of America’s trading partners, he reversed course. The president announced yesterday afternoon that nearly all of his so-called reciprocal tariffs would be paused for 90 days, and that he might consider exempting some US companies from the tariffs. Nearly every US trading partner instead faces a 10 per cent blanket tariff, on top of 25 per cent tariffs on cars, steel and aluminium - but China, which had sharply retaliated, will have an even higher 125 per cent tariff, up from a 104 per cent figure proposed yesterday. Neither side wants to look weak by backing down, but a collapse of their trade ties could have profound consequences. Slumping markets quickly rallied. The S&P 500 ended the day up 9.5 per cent, its largest daily increase since 2008. The tariffs, which Trump had raised to the highest level in a century, had caused economists to warn of recession risks. Markets in Asia soared in the countries that were spared. White House officials repeatedly tried to suggest that the change in policy was a premeditated strategy devised to secure favourable deals. But Trump himself acknowledged that his decision was made in response to the market turmoil, particularly in the bond market. New York Times, April 10

Macron says France could recognise a Palestinian state 'in June'
France plans to recognise a Palestinian state within months and could make the move at a UN conference in New York in June on settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday. "We must move towards recognition, and we will do so in the coming months," Macron, who this week visited Egypt, told France 5 television. "Our aim is to chair this conference with Saudi Arabia in June, where we could finalise this movement of mutual recognition (of a Palestinian state) by several parties," he added. "I will do it … because I believe that at some point it will be right and because I also want to participate in a collective dynamic - which must also allow all those who defend Palestine to recognise Israel in turn, which many of them do not do," he added. Such recognition would allow France "to be clear in our fight against those who deny Israel's right to exist - which is the case with Iran - and to commit ourselves to collective security in the region," he added. France 24, April 9

Zelensky claims 155 Chinese fighting for Russia in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says at least 155 Chinese citizens are fighting for Russia in the war. His comments come after two Chinese fighters were captured earlier this week - marking Kyiv's first official allegation that China was supplying Russia with manpower. Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Zelensky reiterated his claim that there are "many more" Chinese nationals engaged in the conflict, based on information gathered by his government. China has previously denied many of its citizens are fighting for Russia, saying the claim has "no basis in facts". Beijing has yet to respond to Zelensky's latest figure. On Wednesday, China's foreign ministry's spokesman Lin Jian said they were still "verifying the relevant situation with Ukraine" and appeared to suggest that the Chinese soldiers were operating in a private capacity. "Let me stress that the Chinese government always asks Chinese nationals to stay away from areas of armed conflict, avoid any form of involvement in armed conflict, and in particular avoid participation in any party's military operations," said Lin Jian. He also urged Ukraine to "view correctly China's effort and constructive role for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis". BBC news, April 10

Britain and India ‘closer than ever’ to free trade deal
Britain and India are “as close as we’ve ever been” to agreeing to a free trade agreement which would reduce tariffs on whisky, cars, and food. Businesses were told on Wednesday that a deal with the nation of 1.4 billion people had been 90 per cent agreed, after pressure from US tariffs gave new impetus to the talks. “We are nearly there,” a government source told The Guardian, which first reported the development. “We are as close as we’ve ever been, but conversations at the political level cut both ways.” It is understood that one of the main outstanding issues, relating to visas, had been mostly resolved. The Times, April 9

Government offers to buy coal for British Steel as negotiations continue
The British government has offered to buy the coking coal for British Steel that is needed to keep the country’s last blast furnace facility open while it negotiates a deal with its Chinese owners. The move would allow the company to prolong production at the remaining furnaces at its main site at Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire while the future of the plant is resolved, said people familiar with the matter. The offer comes as part of talks this week between British Steel’s owner Jingye Group and business secretary Jonathan Reynolds to discuss options to stave off a collapse of the lossmaking company. Talks between the two sides are set to resume on Thursday afternoon, the people said. The company is preparing to idle one of its two blast furnaces as soon as next week to preserve raw materials. Coking coal and iron ore need to be imported and can take weeks to arrive. Shipments of coking coal and iron pellets have arrived in the UK but not yet been fully paid for, according to one person familiar with the matter. Finan c ial Times, April 10

Royal Mail trials postbox with parcel hatch, solar panels and barcode scanner
Royal Mail has unveiled a solar-powered “postbox of the future” with a built-in barcode reader and a hatch to accept parcels larger than letterbox size. In the “biggest change to postbox design since their introduction more than 175 years ago”, the hi-tech pillar box looks as if it is wearing a jaunty beret. The black, chequered lid is in fact solar panels that power the scanner. The postbox’s extra-large opening hatch offers a new way for the postal service to cash in on a roaring parcel trade. While letter volumes are in steep decline, Britain is in the grip of a secondhand selling boom as consumers use sites such as Vinted to make extra cash. In a process that will be familiar to those with side hustles, the postboxes can be used to drop off packages that have barcoded postage. Once customers have scanned their code - the postbox’s batteries store energy to power its scanner when there is no sun - the drawer on the front opens. They can then use the Royal Mail app to request “proof of posting”. The Guardian, April 10

US claim China poses threat to Panama Canal triggers angry Beijing response
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday the Panama Canal faces ongoing threats from China but that together the United States and Panama will keep it secure. Hegseth's remarks triggered a fiery response from the Chinese government, which said: “Who represents the real threat to the Canal? People will make their own judgement.” Speaking at a ribbon cutting for a new US-financed dock at the Vasco Nuñez de Balboa Naval Base after a meeting with Panama President José Raúl Mulino, Hegseth said the US will not allow China or any other country to threaten the canal's operation. "To this end, the United States and Panama have done more in recent weeks to strengthen our defense and security cooperation than we have in decades," he said. Hegseth alluded to ports at either end of the canal that are controlled by a Hong Kong consortium, which is in the process of selling its controlling stake to another consortium including BlackRock Inc. France 24, April 9

Trump presses ahead with a trade war
President Trump’s tariffs took effect earlier this morning, hitting nearly all US allies with punishing new levies and raising import taxes on Chinese goods to more than 100 per cent. Trump said 70 governments have already approached the US to make deals, and that officials would begin talks with Japan and South Korea. China has already responded with its own levies, and the EU is preparing its own retaliatory tariffs on American products starting next week. These plans, and others like them, have heightened fears of an economically damaging trade war and a global recession, as losses mount in stock markets around the world. New York Times, April 9

US consumers face sharp price increases from Donald Trump’s tariffs, say analysts
Prices of leather goods, clothing, furniture and consumer electronics are expected to increase sharply for US households in the coming months because the country relies heavily on imports from nations targeted by Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, according to analysts. Economists at the Richmond Federal Reserve forecast the US president’s so-called reciprocal tariffs, which are due to take effect on Wednesday, will have a “disproportionate impact” on various industries that import manufactured goods from Asia, including leather and apparel. Goods imported to the US from China face tariffs of more than 104 per cent after the White House on Tuesday said Trump was pushing ahead with a further escalation of his trade conflict with Beijing. Trump hit Vietnam, the second-largest apparel exporter to the US after China and a major supplier of leather goods such as handbags, with a 46 per cent tariff last week - one of the highest levies announced on his self-declared “liberation day”. Cambodia, which supplies clothing brands including Lululemon and Hugo Boss, has been set a tariff of 49 per cent. Financial Times, April 9

European air traffic warning means summer delays for holidaymakers
Holidaymakers should expect flight delays this summer, European air traffic control bosses have warned. Eurocontrol, which manages European airspace, said that disruption could be even greater than last year when passengers experienced the worst delays since 2001. The body is expecting to handle 5 per cent more flights than last summer. Delays in summer 2024 were 47 per cent worse than in 2023, with capacity and staffing issues the greatest factor. Steven Moore, Eurocontrol’s head of air traffic management operations, said that the situation was made worse because Europe is “a highly saturated network where any issue becomes a network problem”. He said that the expected increase in traffic this summer posed “a significant challenge in a constrained network”, adding: “It’s plain we won’t have a summer without delays.” The Times, April 9

Government considers nationalising British Steel
The government is considering nationalising British Steel as fears grow among ministers that the company's blast furnaces in Scunthorpe could run out of raw materials within days. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has sought to reassure workers at the Lincolnshire plant that the government would consider nationalisation if necessary. Reeves spoke to trade unions over the weekend to explain the government's outlook on the steelworks' future. It is understood she told them she was acutely aware of the steel industry's strategic importance to the UK. US President Donald Trump has levied a 25 per cent tariff on American imports of steel. British Steel has said its two blast furnaces in Scunthorpe are "no longer financially sustainable" and there are fears that without government support 2,700 jobs could be lost. The firm has been owned by the Chinese company Jingye since 2020. Jingye says it has invested more than £1.2bn into British Steel to maintain operations and claims it suffered financial losses of around £700,000 a day. BBC news, April 9

British space company to design fleet of satellites that may help map early universe
A British space company is designing a fleet of satellites that could orbit the moon and map the early universe. The Italian Space Agency has commissioned Blue Skies Space to design the satellites that could detect faint radio signals from the dawn of the universe. These signals are almost impossible to detect from Earth’s surface due to human-made radio interference, but the far side of the moon is shielded from this noise. Dr Marcell Tessenyi, the chief executive of Blue Skies Space, said: “We want to be able to peek into those dark ages and get knowledge of large-scale structures of the early universe. Doing this from the Earth’s surface is very difficult.” The Italian Space Agency has commissioned the €200,000 design project to uncover whether a fleet of four or more satellites could detect these radio signals, which sit in the FM radio range. The signatures, dating to less than a million years after the big bang, could give insights into a time before the first stars formed when the universe was mostly hydrogen gas. The Guardian, April 9

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